What a romantic - you choose love over BMWs. If you get the lady a diamond, read up on the dangers of surprise presentations, such as the dolt in London who hid his diamond in a helium balloon and wanted her to prick the balloon and find the surprise inside. But he did this on a blustery day ... didn't hold on to the balloon real well ... and you can guess the rest. See this Reuters story, Honey, Will You Marry Me? ... Oh, Never Mind

The car needs to be in good shape mechanically, of course. But I think the initial presentation matters a lot, meaning the car has to look beautiful when the prospect first sees it. Always washed, always clean inside.

I found the 2001 M Coupe that I just picked up this weekend at a BMWCCA Driver Education event. I was volunteering, and one of the instructors had a for sale sign on the back glass of his car. I've wanted an M Coupe since there were M Coupes to want, and the car was immaculate, and priced well, so I told him "I want your car, I just have to sell my MINI first"

Saturday morning, I sold my MINI. Saturday afternoon, I drove home in my new (to me) M Coupe